Button-forming device

ABSTRACT

Device for forming buttons from a pin-on back plate, a front plate, and a cover over the front plate, with the device having a pair of button-forming dies alternately shiftable into operation alignment with a forming punch which on descent with the successively aligned dies cooperates with the latter to assemble the separate button parts into a button, and a cover-blanking punch and die set above the forming punch, of which the blanking die is topmost and has a die aperture open at the top and bottom and a cutting edge at the bottom of the aperture, with the blanking die being by the forming punch raised into blanking cooperation with the blanking die, and the forming punch being moved upwardly and downwardly by manually operable means.

United States Patent [151 3,662,626 Alpert [4 1 May 16, 1972 [54] BUTTON-FORMING DEVICE [72] Inventor: Jacob J. Alpert, 3 Burnt Swamp Road, 57 3:? i s 'gjg rgifz g Custer Amity Station, PO. Box 3896, Woody p g bridge, Conn. 06525 ABSTRACT [22] Flled: 1970 Device for forming buttons from a pin-0n back plate, a front [21] Appl No.: 91,876 plate, and a cover over the front plate, with the device having a pair of button-forming dies alternately shiftable into operation alignment with a forming punch which on descent with [g2] (g1 52.53.1563 the successively aligned dies cooperates with the [mm to i i 79/4 5 semble the separate button parts into a button, and a coverle 0 c blanking punch and die Set above the forming punch, of which the blanking die is topmost and has a die aperture open at the [56] References cued top and bottom and a cutting edge at the bottom of the aper- UNITED STATES PATENTS ture, with the blanking die being by the forming punch raised into blanking cooperation with the blanking die, and the formgl y f ing punch being moved upwardly and downwardly by erwlg et a manual] 0 erable means. 988,478 4/1911 Lundquist y p 2,814,220 1 1/1957 Spendel et al. ..79/5 6 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures 2 /36 w 26 w 60 w /45 5 W &9

25 t9? 99 90 a5 g A90 //-4 PATENTEnm 16 m2 3.662.626

SHEET 3 OF 3 INVENTOR BUTTON-FORMING DEVICE This invention relates to button-making devices in general, and to devices for making pin-on buttons in particular.

Pin-on buttons of the type with which the present invention is concerned have a pin-on back plate, a front plate and a cover over the front plate, of which marginal portions of the plates are crimped into interlock with each other, and the cover is held snug on the front plate by being with a marginal portion thereof locked between the intercrimped margins of the plates. The back and front plates are customarily stamped from light-gauge metal sheet, and the cover is of paper or like sheet material which on its exposed face is marked with a printed legend or a pictorial illustration such as a photograph, for example, or both, so that these buttons may be worn during conventions, political campaigns, or as badges, for example. There are known relatively simple and manually operable devices for assembling the back and front plates and the cover into pin-on buttons, with these devices commonly providing a pair of forming dies and cooperating depressible forming punches, and one of these devices providing a single depressible forming punch and a pair of forming dies all incorporated in a self-contained unit for alternate cooperation of the punch with each one of the dies in button assembling. These devices lend themselves to assembling buttons for all different purposes, and to this end there is customarily available a longlasting supply of back and front plates which are the same for all buttons. However, demands for different quantities of buttons for different purposes, and often-times a one-time demand only for a particular button, as well as demands from time to time for buttons with new markings on their covers, compels button makers to stamp particularly marked covers as and when they are needed for a required quantity of particular buttons to-be-assembled in these devices. To stamp these marked covers from a supply sheet or sheets, recourse is invariably had to a blanking punch which is disassociated from the button-assembly devices, and which an operator wields in laborious and tiresome manner in order to stamp each cover from a supply sheet, with the operator usually staying with the task of thus blanking all covers which are required for subsequent assembly of buttons of a given quantity in order to have available an adequate supply of covers when subsequently assembling the buttons in an assembly device at the relatively high efficiency which is afforded by the latter, and which is considerably higher than the efficiency with which the covers can be blanked. Blanking the covers is thus a bottle-neck in the making of buttons despite their assembly in the more or less efficient button-assembly devices.

It is among the objects of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned bottleneck in the making of buttons, by providing a punch and die set which is ofquite simple and lowcost construction, and of convenient handlever operation for blanking covers from a supply sheet, of which the punch is the movable member of the set and guided for vertical movement in a support, and the die is fixed above the punch and has an aperture the lower edge of which cooperates with the punch in blanking a cover from a supply sheet. With this arrangement, the blanking of covers from a supply sheet is much faster, and requires less skill, than with the prior blanking punches, especially since the blanking operation is under particularly effective visual control of an operator in that the latter may readily observe the supply sheet from the top of the die aperture and thus quickly and unfailingly shift a marked portion of the sheet into position in which it is neatly centered or framed in the die aperture and immediately thereafter blanked from the sheet. Moreover, by making the die of reasonably small thickness, the punch will, on even a moderately short work stroke, carry the blanked cover through the die aperture and deliver it thereabove for its ready pick-up thereat and, hence, without requiring prying of a cover from a blanking tool such as from the prior blanking punches.

It is another object of the present invention to provide the aforementioned punch and die set of handlever operation for blanking covers from a supply sheet, of which the punch support is in its top surface provided with a shallow groove the opposite side walls whereof are equally spaced from the center of the punch, and the width of the groove is uniform and substantially equal to that of a preferred ribbon form of a supply sheet, with successive lengths of the supply ribbon bearing identical markings which are centered widthwise on the ribbon, and the die is mounted on the top surface of the punch support and forms with the groove therein a guideway in which the supply ribbon is led to the punch and die aperture. With this further arrangement, the widthwise accurately centered markings on successive lengths of the supply ribbon are as accurately centered with respect to the punch and die aperture by the very guideway in which the supply ribbon is advanced to the punch and die aperture, wherefore an operators function in centering the markings on successive ribbon lengths on the punch and die aperture is reduced to the exceedingly simple task of merely intermittently advancing the supply ribbon in the guideway until the markings on successive ribbon lengths are observed to be centered in the die aperture longitudinally of the supply ribbon.

It is a further object of the present invention to combine the prior button-assembly device of the aforementioned single forming punch and pair of forming dies, with the aforementioned cover-blanking punch and die set, into a single self-contained button-forming unit which, while still being supplied with back and front plates for the button assembly, is operable to supply the button covers at a rate at which the unit lends itself to making buttons almost as fast as buttons could be assembled in this prior assembly device from a steadily available supply of back and front plates and an equally steadily available supply of button covers. To the end of thus combining the prior device and the punch and die set into a most efficient button-forming unit, certain operating components of the device and the punch and die set have been coordinated in a unique and advantageous manner. Thus, in the button-assembly device the two forming dies are carried on a slide which is horizontally reciprocable on a base to bring either die from a loading station to an operating station at which it is in operative alignment with an overhead forming punch, with the latter being guided for vertical movement in an upright on the base, and being operated by a hand-lever. Mounted on the upright above the forming punch is the support for the punch of the cover-blanking punch and die set, and mounted on top of this support is the blanking die with its top-exposed die aperture. Manipulation of the handlever in one direction will lower the forming punch for cooperation with either aligned forming die in assembling a button, while manipulation of the handlever in the opposite direction will raise the blanking punch for cooperation with the blanking die in blanking a cover from a supply ribbon. The forming dies are starting and finish dies in assembling a button, of which the starting die at its loading station receives a front plate with its front face up and a cover on top of the front plate, and the finish die at its loading station receives a back plate with its pin downward. In a typical cyclic operation of the assembly device, the forming punch is lowered into cooperation with the aligned loaded starting die to fold a peripheral margin of the cover downwardly over the periphery of the front plate, whereby the cover and front plate are also transferred to the punch by virtue of frictional engagement of the latter with the folded-down cover margin, so that the cover and front plate will be carried by this punch on its following up or return stroke. The slide is then moved to bring the loaded finish die to the operating station and the starting die to its loading station for reception of another front plate and cover. The forming punch is again lowered, in the course of which the retained front plate and folded-over cover are stripped from the punch and transferred into the finish die wherein the latter and the punch cooperate to crimp a peripheral margin of the front plate over a peripheral margin of the back plate and simultaneously interfold the down-folded cover margin between and into tight clamping engagement with the interlocked plate margins. The button is then finished and is, after the succeeding up-stroke of the forming punch, removed from the finish die, whereupon the slide is moved to bring the loaded starting die to the operating station and the empty finish die to its loading station for reception of another back plate. The device is then ready for the next cyclic operation.

Preferably, the cover-blanking punch and die set is operated in each cyclic operation of the device. More particularly, this punch and die set is, by handlever operation of the forming punch in upward direction, operated to blank a cover and deliver it to the top of the blanking die when the finish die is at the operating station and the starting die is at its loading station, so that in a single and quick manipulation the blanked cover may be picked up on top of the blanking die and directly placed into the starting die, whereupon the started cycle of operation of the device may be continued to conclusion. In thus operating the unit, the punch and die set supplies the covers as needed for their immediate assembly with the back and front plates into buttons, yet to supply each cover requires no more than intermittent advance of the supply ribbon in the punch and die set and simple manipulation of the handlever which prolongs each operating cycle of the device only negligibly. Moreover, with the markings on successive lengths of the supply ribbon having the same orientation, the punch and die set is advantageously arranged so that each blanked cover emerging on top of the blanking die has its marking oriented as it is required to be oriented in the starting forming die for assembly of the next button, wherefore the transfer of successive covers from the blanking die into, and their correct placement in, the starting forming die is a task which is easier and requires less attention as well as manipulation than picking covers from an available supply and orient their markings in placing them into the starting forming die.

Further objects and advantages will appear to those skilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the presentinvention are shown for illustrative purposes:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pin-on button;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section through the same button;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a button-forming device for making buttons of the kind shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are side and top views, respectively, of the button-forming device;

FIG. 6 is a section through the same device taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section through part of the device;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section through part of the device as taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a section similar to FIG. 8, but showing certain parts of the device in different operating positions; I

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary section through a certain operating component of the device;

FIG. 10A is an enlarged fragmentary section through another operating component of the device;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary section similar to FIG. 10A, but showing the same operating component in a different operating condition; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, of a modified button-forming device.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, the reference numeral designates a pin-on button which in this instance is round and consists of a back plate 22, a front plate 24 and a cover 26 over the front plate 24. The back and front plates 22 and 24 are dished and have rims 28 and 30, respectively, of which the rim 28 is flared outwardly, and the rim 30 is initially also flared outwardly (FIG. 10), but is in the assembly of the button crimped inwardly into overlap and interlock with the rim 28 of the back plate 22 (FIGS. 2 and 11). The cover 26 is blanked from paper or similar fiat flexible material, and is provided on its front face 32 with a printed legend or a pictorial illustration such as a photograph, or both, depending on the purpose for which the button is worn. The button shown in FIG. 1 carries on its cover 26 an exemplary political campaign slogan. In the assembly of the button, the cover 26 is with a peripheral margin 34 thereof folded and securely clamped between the interlocked rims 28 and 30 of the back and front plates 22 and 24. The back plate 22 is also provided with a pin-0n needle 36 which extends from a loop 38 on one end of a needle back 40 the other end of which is formed into a needle catch 42, with the needle back 40 extending on the inside of the dished back plate 22, and the loop 38 and needle catch 42 extending through slots in the back plate.

Reference is now had to FIGS. 3 to 6 which show a device 50 for forming buttons of the kind shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The device 50 has for its major operating components a pair of button-forming dies 52 and 54, a forming punch 56 which cooperates with the forming dies 52 and 54, and a coverblanking punch 58 and cooperating die 60.

The forming dies 52 and 54 are carried by a slide 62 which is movable in a horizontal guideway 64 on a base 66. The die 52, which is a starting die in forming a button, has a center ram 68 fixed in the slide 62, and a surrounding sleeve 70 which by a spring 72 is normally urged into the raised position shown in FIG. 6, with the ram 68 and sleeve 72 forming a die recess 74 open at the top.

The other forming die 54, which is a finish" die in forming a button, has also a center ram 76 fixed in the slide 62 and a surrounding sleeve 78 which by a spring 80 is normally urged into the raised position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, with the ram 76 and sleeve 78 forming a die recess 82 open at the top (FIG.

The forming punch 56 is on an upright 84 on the base 66 guided for vertical movement downwardly and upwardly into and from cooperation, respectively, with either forming die 52 and 54. More particularly, the forming punch 56 is carried at the lower end of a rack 85 which is movable in a vertical guideway 86 in a block 88 which at 90 is pinned to the upright 84, with this upright being in the present instance a cylindrical post, and the rack 85 being retained in the guideway 86 by a plate 92. The forming punch 56 is raised and lowered by manuably operable means including the rack 85, and further providing a gear 94 which is in mesh with the rack 85 and carried by a shaft 96 suitably journalled in the block 88 (FIG. '6), and a handlever 98 on the shaft 96 (FIGS. 1 and 4).

The forming punch 56 provides in this instance a top plate 100, a therefrom depending center ram 102, and a sleeve 104 surrounding and turnable on the center ram 102 (FIG. 6). The center ram 102 has a reduced shank portion 106 with an annular shoulder 108 on which normally rests an annular shoulder 110 on the sleeve 104, with the sleeve 104 being passed over the shank portion 106 of the ram 102 before the top plate is applied to the latter and the parts of the forming punch secured to the rack 84 by a screw 112, for instance. For cooperation of the forming punch 56 with the starting die 52, the sleeve 104 is with its annular shoulder held resting on the annular shoulder 108 on the center ram 102 by diametrically opposite stay bolts 114 on the top plate 100 (FIG. 6), so as to preserve the die cavity 1 16 which is formed by the center ram 102 and surrounding sleeve 104, and which is open at the bottom (FIGS. 6 and 10). However, for cooperation of the forming punch 56 with the finish die 54, the center ram 102 of the forming punch is required to descend in the sleeve 104 to the extent shown in FIG. 1 1, and to this end the stay bolts 114 are inactivated by turning the sleeve 104 anticlockwise from the position in FIG. 8 into the position in FIG. 9 in which the stay bolts 1 14 are in alignment with clearance slots 1 18 in the sleeve into which they will project on the required descent of the center ram 102 in the sleeve 104. Conversely, for conditioning the forming punch for cooperation with the starting die 52, it is merely necessary to turn the sleeve 104 of the forming punch back from the position in FIG. 9 to the position in FIG. 8 to thereby reactivate the stay bolts 114 in preserving the die cavity 116 (see also FIG. 6).

The forming punch 56 is located at an operating station of the device, and the slide 62 is shiftable to bring'either forming die 52 or 54 to this operating station for cooperation with the forming punch. Thus, the starting die 52 is at the operating station in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, with the finish die 54 being then in its loading station in FIGS. 3 and 5. Conversely, on shifting the slide 62 to the left in FIGS. 3 and 5 to bring the finish die 54 to the operating station, the starting die 52 will be brought to its loading station to the left of the operating station (FIGS. 3 and 5), as will be readily understood.

The shift of the slide 62 to bring either forming die 52 or 54 to the operating station also brings about the described turning of the sleeve 104 of the forming punch 56 to activate and inactivate the stay bolts 114. To this end, there is suitably anchored in the upright post 84 a leaf-type spring 118 which engages a pin 120 on the sleeve 104 so as normally to urge the latter into the angular position in FIG. 8 in which the stay bolts 114 are displaced from the clearance slots 118 to preserve the die cavity 116 in the forming punch 56 (FIG. 6). Accordingly, the forming punch 56 is then conditioned for correct cooperation with the starting die 52. The slide 62 also carries an action plate 122 (FIGS. 3 to 5) which, on the shift of the slide 62 to the left for bringing the finish die 54 to the operating station, engages the pin 120 and turns the sleeve 104 into the position shown in FIG. 9 in which the clearance slots 118 in this sleeve are in alignment with the stay bolts 114 to permit advance of the center ram 102 of the forming punch into the sleeve 104 for correct cooperation of the forming punch with the finish die 54 (FIG. 11). The sleeve 104 is thus positively held in the angular position in FIG. 9 while the finish die 54 is at the operating station. However, as soon as the slide 62 is moved to the right to bring the starting die 52 to the operating station, the action plate 122 retracts from the pin 120 and the spring 118 acts on the latter to turn the sleeve 104 to the position in FIG. 8 to preserve the die cavity 116 in the forming punch for correct cooperation of the latter with the starting die 52 (FIG.

Suitably mounted at 124 on top of the upright post 84, and preferably also at 126 on another upright post 128 on the base 66, is a support 130 having a cylindrical precess 132 that serves as a vertical guideway for the blanking punch 58 (FIGS. 6 and 7). Mounted at 134 on top of the support 130 is the blanking die 60 having an annular die aperture 136 which is open at the top and bottom, and whose bottom edge 138 cooperates with the top edge 140 of the blanking punch 58 in blanking a cover 26 from a supply ribbon r on raising the blanking punch (FIGS. 6 and 7). The blanking punch 58 has a bottom shank 142 which extends through a bottom aperture 144 in the support 130 and into operative alignment with the rack 85, and preferably with an adjustment screw 146 thereon. The blanking punch 58 is normally seated in the annular recess 132 in the support 130 (FIG. 7) by springs 148 which surround screws 150 and are interposed between the heads 152 of the latter and the support 130, with the screws 150 passing through suitable clearance holes in the support 130 and being threadedly received by the blanking punch 58. Provided in the top of the support 130 is a groove 154 of uniform width substantially equal to that of a supply ribbon r, with this groove 154 being centered on the blanking punch 58 and the aperture 136 in the blanking die (FIGS. 4 to 7). The groove 154 and the blanking die 60 thereabove thus form a guideway 156 in which to advance a supply ribbon r to the blanking punch and die for blanking a cover 26 therefrom. To raise the blanking punch 58 for blanking a cover 26, the handlever 98 is turned clockwise into the position in FIG. 4 in the course of which the rack 85 and adjustment screw 146 thereon raise the blanking punch 58 from the retracted position in FIG. 7 to the level shown in FIG. 6 at which the blanked cover 26 rests on the blanking punch above the die aperture 136 for easy removal. With the markings, such as the exemplary legend in FIG. 1, on successive lengths of a supply ribbon r being widthwise centered on the latter, it follows that on mere advance of a supply ribbon in the guideway 156, the latter keeps the markings on the supply ribbon centered on the blanking punch 58 and die aperture 136 widthwise of the ribbon, so that an attendants sole task in centering successive markings in the die aperture is to advance the ribbon until the next marking is through the top of the die aperture 136 observed to be so centered.

For use of the device, there is available a supply of back and front plates 22 and 24, and in the preferred operation of the device each cover 26 is blanked in the device as needed for its immediate assembly with a back plate and a front plate into a button. In operation of the device, and assuming that the starting die 52 has just been brought to the operating station (FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) from its loading station in which it received a front plate 24 and a cover 26 thereover, the forming punch 56 is, by downward manipulation of the handlever 98, lowered to cooperate with the starting die 52 in preassembling the front plate and cover therein and transfer these preassembled parts into the die aperture 116 in the forming punch. The front plate 24 and cover 26 are thus preassembled on depression of the die sleeve 70 by the descending forming punch 56, in the course ofwhich the front plate 24 comes to rest on the die ram 68 and a peripheral margin 33 of the cover 26 is by the die cavity 116 stripped or folded downwardly over the rim 30 of the front plate, with the thus preassembled parts 24, 26 being at the same time transferred into the die cavity 116 in the forming punch (FIG. 10) and frictionally retained therein on the following up or return stroke of the forming punch 56 and spring-recovery of the starting die 52 to its condition in FIG. 6. With the finish die 54 being then in its loading position (FIGS. 3 and 5), the operator may next place a back plate 22 into the die recess or cavity 82 in which it is held in position on the die ram 76 by the raised die sleeve 78, and the operator may then shift the slide 62 to bring the loaded finish die 54 to the operating station and the now-empty starting die 52 to its loading station at which to place a new front plate 24 into the die recess or cavity 74. Next, the handlever 98 may be swung upwardly to blank a cover 28 and deliver it at the top of the blanking die 60 (FIG. 6) for its quick manual transfer into the cavity 74 in the starting die 52 on top of the already deposited front plate 24 therein. The handlever 98 is then turned downwardly for lowering the forming punch 56 into cooperation with the finish die 54 for transfer of the preassembled front plate and cover from this punch into the finish die and their assembly with the back plate 22 in the finish die. Thus,

with the center ram 102 of the forming punch now being free to advance in the punch sleeve 104 because of inactivation of the stay bolts 114 (FIG. 9), the sleeve 104 will on the descent of the punch ram 102 come to rest on the die sleeve 78, whereupon on continued descent of the ram 102 the same will advance in the sleeve 104 until the top plate of the forming punch engages the top of the plunger sleeve 104, whereby the preassembled front plate and cover 24, 26 are stripped from the plunger sleeve 104 and deposited in the top recess 164 in the die sleeve 78 (FIG. 10A). On further continued descent of the forming punch, the punch ram and sleeve 102, 104 move in unison and depress the die sleeve 78, in the course ofwhich the loose inward peripheral margin 34 of the cover 26 (FIG. 10A) is by the rim 28 of the back plate 22 folded inwardly against the rim 30 of the front plate 24 just as this plate rim 30 passes outwardly beneath the rim 28 of the back plate 22, whereupon on slight further depression of the die sleeve 78 and forming punch to the limit of depressibility of the sleeve the frusto-conical bottom surface 166 of the recess 164 in this die sleeve and the punch ram 102 cooperate in crimping the rim 30 of the front plate 24 inwardly beneath the rim 28 of the back plate 22 and clamp the peripheral cover margin 34 between the then interlocked plate rims 28 and 30 (FIG. 11). The assembly of the button is now completed and the handlever 98 turned upwardly for raising the forming punch 56, with the sleeve 78 of the finish die 54 being then spring-urged upwardly to deliver the bottom at the top of the die cavity 82 in the finish die. The slide 62 is next shifted to bring the starting die 52 to the operating station and the finish die 54 to its loading station (FIGS. 3 and 5) at which to receive a new back plate 22. The device is now ready for the next cycle of operation, identical with the operating cycle just described, for assembling the next button.

While in the described operation of the device, each cover 26 is preferably and advantageously blanked as needed for its immediate assembly with a back plate 22 and a front plate 24 into a button, the blanking punch and die 58, 60 may, if desired, be also used to good advantage for blanking from a supply ribbon or ribbons a multiplicity of covers 26 to serve as an available supply of covers for assembling buttons in the same device.

Reference is now had to FIG. 12, which shows a modified button-forming device 50a that is in all respects like the described device 50, except that the blanking punch 58a is operated independently of the forming punch 56a. To this end, the support 130a has spaced depending lugs 170 in which is journalled a shaft 172, and between which is a cam 174 that is carried by the shaft 172, with the cam 174 being in follower relation with a bottom shank 142a of the blanking punch 58a. The blanking punch 58a is shown in its retracted position into which it is urged by the springs 148a, with the blanking punch then resting with its shank 142a on a low point of the cam 174. The shaft 172 carries a collar 176 to which is secured a handlever 178. Thus, on turning the handlever 178 downwardly, the cam 174 will raise the punch 58a and cooperate with the blanking die 60a in blanking a cover from the supply ribbon r and deliver the blanked cover on top of the die aperture 136a for its ready removal therefrom.

What is claimed is: I

l. A device for forming buttons each having front and back plates and a marked cover over the front plate, comprising a base with a horizontal guideway; a pair of starting and finish button-forming dies with recesses open at the top; a slide carrying said dies and being movable in said guideway into two positions in each of which one die is at an operating station and the other die is at a loading station; a forming punch; an upright on said base having a vertical guideway in which said punch is moveable downwardly and upwardly into and from cooperation with a button-forming die at said operating station, with said starting and finish dies in their respective loading positions being adapted to receive in their recesses a front plate and cover thereon and a back plate, respectively, and said punch cooperating with said starting die in preassembling a front plate and cover therein and transferring the preassembly to said punch, and cooperating with said finish die in transferring a preassembly from said punch into said finish die and assemble the transferred preassembly and a back plate in said finish die into a button; manually operable means for raising and lowering said forming punch; a support on said upright providing another vertical guideway above said forming punch; and a blanking punch and die, of which said blanking punch is movable in said other guideway and said blanking die is mounted on top of said support and has a die aperture open at the top and bottom and having a bottom edge cooperating with the rising blanking punch in blanking a cover from a supply sheet, with said blanking punch being aligned with said forming punch and raised by the latter on operation of said manual means.

2. A device as in claim 1, in which said manual means is operable to raise said punches for delivery by said blanking punch of a blanked cover above said aperture in said blanking die.

3. A device as in claim 1, in which a supply sheet is a supply ribbon of uniform width of which successive lengths bear identical marks centered widthwise of the ribbon, and said support is in its top provided with a groove which is substantially of the'width of a supply ribbon and centered on said aperture in said blanking die, with said groove and blanking die serving as a guideway in which to advance a supply ribbon to said blanking punch and die aperture, with each mark on the advancing ribbon in the guideway being by the latter centered on said die aperture widthwise of the ribbon.

4. A device as in claim 1, in which said guideway in said support has a bottom sto on which said blankin punch rests in retracted position an from which it is raise into blanking cooperation with said blanking die, and there are provided spring means urging said blanking punch into said retracted position.

5. A device as in claim 1, in which said manually operable means provide a rack carrying said forming punch and movable in said guideway in said upright, a shaft journalled in saidupright and carrying a gear in mesh with said rack, and a bandlever on said shaft, with said rack being in alignment with said blanking punch and raising the latter on operating said handlever in one direction.

6. A device for forming buttons each having front and back plates and a marked cover over the front plate, comprising a base with a horizontal guideway; a pair of starting and finish button-forming ides with recesses open at the top; a slide carrying said dies and being movable in said guideway into two positions in each of which one die is at an operating station and the other die is at a loading station; a forming punch; an upright on said base having a vertical guideway in which said punch is movable downwardly and upwardly into and from cooperation with a button-forming die at said operating station, with said starting and finish dies in their respective loading positions being adapted to receive in their recesses a front plate and cover thereon and a back plate, respectively, and said punch cooperating with said starting die in preassembling a front plate and cover therein and transferring the preassembly to said punch, and cooperating with said finish die in transferring a preassembly from said punch into said finish die and assemble the transferred preassembly and a back plate in said finish die into a button; a support on said upright providing another vertical guideway above said forming punch; a blanking punch and die, of which said blanking die is mounted on top of said support and has a die aperture open at the top and bottom and having a bottom blanking edge, and said blanking punch is movable in said other guideway into and from blanking cooperation with said blanking die; and manual means operable for independently moving said forming and blanking punches into and from cooperation with a button forming die and said blanking die, respectively. 

1. A device for forming buttons each having front and back plates and a marked cover over the front plate, comprising a base with a horizontal guideway; a pair of starting and finish buttonforming dies with recesses open at the top; a slide carrying said dies and being movable in said guideway into two positions in each of which one die is at an operating station and the other die is at a loading station; a forming punch; an upright on said base having a vertical guideway in which said punch is moveable downwardly and upwardly into and from cooperation with a buttonforming die at said operating station, with said starting and finish dies in their respective loading positions being adapted to receive in their recesses a front plate and cover thereon and a back plate, respectively, and said punch cooperating with said starting die in preassembling a front plate and cover therein and transferring the preassembly to said punch, and cooperating with said finish die in transferring a preassembly from said punch into said finish die and assemble the transferred preassembly and a back plate in said finish die into a button; manually operable means for raising and lowering said forming punch; a support on said upright providing another vertical guideway above said forming punch; and a blanking punch and die, of which said blanking punch is movable in said other guideway and said blanking die is mounted on top of said support and has a die aperture open at the top and bottom and having a bottom edge cooperating with the rising blanking punch in blanking a cover from a supply sheet, with said blanking punch being aligned with said forming punch and raised by the latter on operation of said manual means.
 2. A device as in claim 1, in which said manual means is operable to raise said punches for delivery by said blanking punch of a blanked cover above said aperture in said blanking die.
 3. A device as in claim 1, in which a supply sheet is a supply ribbon of uniform width of which successive lengths bear identical marks centered widthwise of the ribbon, and said support is in its top provided with a groove which is substantially of the width of a supply ribbon and centered on said aperture in said blanking die, with said groove and blanking die serving as a guideway in which to advance a supply ribbon to said blanking punch and die aperture, with each mark on the advancing ribbon in the guideway being by the latter centered on said die aperture widthwise of the ribbon.
 4. A device as in claim 1, in which said guideway in said support has a bottom stop on which said blanking punch rests in retracted position and from which it is raised into blanking cooperation with said blanking die, and there are provided spring means urging said blanking punch into said retracted position.
 5. A device as in claim 1, in which said manually operable means provide a rack carrying said forming punch and movable in said guideway in said upright, a shaft journalled in said upright and carrying a gear in mesh with said rack, and a handlever on said shaft, with said rack being in alignment with said blanking punch and raising the latter on operating said handlever in one direction.
 6. A device for forming buttons each having front and back plates and a marked cover over the front plate, comprising a base with a horizontal guideway; a pair of starting and finish button-forming ides with recesses open at the top; a slide carrying said dies and being movable in said guideway into two positions in each of which one die is at an operating station and the other die is at a loading station; a forming punch; an upright on said base having a vertical guideway in which said punch is movable downwardly and upwardly into and from cooperation with a button-forming die at said operating station, with said starting and finish dies in their respective loading positions being adapted to receive in their recesses a front plate and cover thereon and a back plate, respectively, and said punch cooperating with said starting die in preassembling a front plate and cover therein and transferring the preassembly to said punch, and cooperating with said finish die in transferring a preassembly from said punch into said finish die and assemble the transferred preassembly and a back plate in said finish die into a button; a support on said upright providing another vertical guideway above said forming punch; a blanking punch and die, of which said blanking die is mounted on top of said support and has a die aperture open at the top and bottom and having a bottom blanking edge, and said blanking punch is movable in said other guideway into and from blanking cooperation with said blanking die; and manual means operable for independently moving said forming and blanking punches into and from cooperation with a button-forming die and said blanking die, respectively. 